A Fighting Fire
by thenextchapter
Summary: When the unknown daughter of Valentine Morgenstern turns up at the institute seeking refuge, Jace is put under a whirlwind of emotions. She is brave and has a fighting fire that no one else can see but can she be trusted? She is broken from her past and doesn't trust anyone. Jace is the only one that understands but when everyone wants to keep them apart can love ever be enough?
1. Chapter 1

I ignored my fatigue as I continued attacking the punching bag. My pounding heart and rapid breath telling me to stop, but I couldn't. Not now. It was the only thing that could clear my mind. It was the only thing stopping me from losing it and attacking a real person. I needed this. After a while, my body's needs faded and the only thing that mattered was the pounding of my fist until it became a rhythmic song.

"What did the punching bag ever do to you?" Izzy's voice rang through the room, bouncing off the walls. I stopped, finally, and turned, giving her my signature smirk.

"It was giving me attitude." Izzy just rolled her eyes and strolled further into the training room.

"Well, as fun as watching you... do whatever the hell you were just doing is, Hodge wants us to do something."

"Wow, that was specific. Want to expand more on what this "thing he wants us to do" is?" She stalked over to where the weapons were stored, talking as she did.

"Something about some newbie shadowhunter? I don't know. Just go and shower. Quickly?" She reached for a seraph blade, the sharp edges glistening in the dim light.

"Shower? Why do I need a shower?"

Isabelle scrunched up her nose in disgust and showed her usual look of disdain.

"Jace, you stink. Really badly." I grinned.

"Jace Wayland doesn't stink. He wafts."

"Well you _waft_ like someone who hasn't had a shower in years."

With a final roll of my eyes, I made my way towards the door, stopping to turn back to Izzy.

"You wish you smelt as good as me." In advance, I could see as her hand slipped to the handle of the seraph blade and as soon as I said it, I ran from the room. I could hear the bang as the blade made contact with the wall opposite to where my head had been merely two seconds before.

"You missed," I taunted as I ran up the stairs.

...

I didn't bother rushing. If Hodge really needed me, then he could wait. I enjoyed my leisurely shower and took my time as I changed into a loose shirt and casual jeans, I doubted he wanted me on a mission so it was pointless dressing in shadowhunter gear. Still, I picked up my seraph blade as I was leaving, it was a comfort to me.

I jogged down the stairs and slowed as I heard voices from the library.

"Does she not speak?" Alec. He sounded curious but wary. Not like himself.

"She's a wreck." Isabelle. Was that sympathy I detected?

"Well, what's wrong with her?"

"Why should I know?"  
"She's not very... talkative."

"Alec, she's obviously gone through something traumatic. Show some pity."

"Don't." The voice belonged to a woman, a girl perhaps? She was shaky but there was a hard edge, a warning.

"I don't want your pity. I'm not weak."

"Nobody said you were." Hodge, kind old Hodge. It was my turn now.

Before the conversation could get any further, I opened the door and stepped into the library, taking in the scene before me. Izzy and Alec were standing by the fireplace, full on staring at the figure in the armchair. From where I stood, all I could see was the back of the chair and the top of a head with red hair.

"What? Started the party without me?" I kept my eyes trained on that chair, carefully making my way around, my grip on my blade tightening.

"Well, you were certainly taking your time, Jace." I glanced up, surprised. Hodge stood at the top of the staircase, looking over the scene like a wise old man.

"It takes a long time to get my hair looking this good." My attention was back on the chair.

I heard him sigh, a common sound when I was around and he began to make his way down the stairs.

"Jace, meet Clarissa Morgenstern," I froze. Morgenstern. Morgenstern as in...

"Valentine's daughter," Hodge finished. My eyes widened and my head shot towards Alec and Izzy. They wore the same wary expression, their eyes still on the girl, but they didn't seem surprised. Hodge must have told them before I came in.

"What's a Morgenstern doing in the Institute?" It came out as a hiss and in reply, there was a whimpering sound from the chair. My eyes narrowed as I finally made my move to the front of the chair. What I saw, was not what I was expecting.

A girl, my age? Perhaps a year younger. Her hair was a fiery red that fell in tangled knots around her back. She sat curled up, her back pressed against the chair in a position of submission and fright. It was her eyes though that caught my attention. She looked like a scared lamb, an expression of terror on her face but her vibrant, green eyes told something different. They held a strength, a fire that matched her hair.

She didn't look like she should be Valentine's daughter either. A purple bruise was noticeable along her right eye and her face was crusted with dirt and blood. She wore rags for clothes. A man's shirt that was too big, ripped at the collar and sleeves.

Her eyes wandered from mine to the blade in my hand. With a sudden movement, she jumped from her chair and scurried to the back wall, keeping her gaze on me. Eyes wide, I could tell that she was in terror and she looked harmless but I knew better.

"Jace. Put the weapon down." Hodge's voice was surprisingly calm and that's what I did. However, when the weapon was placed down, the girl didn't relax.

"Isabelle, why don't you show Clarissa to a spare room and get her cleaned up." I was vaguely aware as Izzy walked towards the girl but my focus was on her and hers was on me until Izzy touched her shoulder to get her attention. She jumped back.

" Don't touch me." Her eyes were wide as she glanced at Izzy who put her hands up in surrender.

"We're not going to hurt you. If you follow me, I can show you to a shower and give you new clothes. Do you want that?"

Clarissa hesitated a moment before nodding. She followed after Izzy slowly and they made their way towards the door. After they left, there was a silence that filled the room and I stood where I was without moving, staring at the spot where the Morgenstern girl used to stand. And then...

"What the hell just happened?"

...

"Why is she here?" Hodge, Alec and I sat around the small table in the institute, a cup of Hodge's tea in front of us but mine was untouched. I wasn't particularly thirsty at the moment due to complications involving some evil bastard's daughter.

"She needs our protection." Hodge replied.

"Our protection? If anything, we need protection from her," Alec's eyes had widened and he was whispering for some reason. I wasn't sure why, it wasn't like the girl could hear him from two floors above.

"Yeah because she's so dangerous." I don't know why I said it sarcastically because the truth was she was dangerous. I don't know if the others saw it, but those eyes told me that she was willing to do whatever was needed to survive. There's no doubt in my mind that she's killed before. Whether it was for the right reasons, I'm not sure.

"She's Valentine's daughter Jace. She personally might not be able to harm us, but he certainly can." He had a point.

"So what? You think she's his spy?" Alec shrugged, leaning back in his seat.

"That's the most logical explanation."

"Yes it is. That's why we're not going to let her leave the institute." Hodge spoke up but what he said made me narrow my eyes.

"We're keeping her prisoner?" Hodge opened his mouth, no doubt to reply to my question before Alec spoke up. Again.

"What's the point in that? Let's just let her go, she hasn't got any information to give him yet."

Hodge, shook his head, his eyes drooped closed with weariness.

"There's the chance that she's not a spy and just a young shadowhunter running from her own father." Alec snorted and even I had to admit that was a far stretch.

"Hear me out," he said over Alec before he could protest some more.

"Valentine's children is a touchy subject among the shadowhunter community."

"Must be really touchy, I didn't even know he had any," I interrupted.

"Exactly. It's not something we like to discuss. You know the story of Valentine though, about the circle and Jocelyn." We nodded confirmative.

"Well, Jocelyn really did love Valentine and when she got pregnant, it was a happy time. We celebrated and Valentine was proud of his baby to be. But then things changed. He became obsessed with power and his hate for the clave grew. He believed that the only way to get the clave to see what he saw, was to bring something more powerful, more dangerous into the world. He began poisoning his wife, not enough to kill her but enough to have an effect on her pregnancy. He injected her with demon's venom and blood and when the baby was born, he wasn't entirely human."

"Half demon? We have a half demon in the institute?!" I think Alec was having a haemorrhage. Seriously, his face was going red, veins were staring to pop out, it was a scary sight to behold.

"Not Clarissa. Sebastian, her brother. He faked his death as you both know but he also faked his son's. Jocelyn was overcome with grief, her husband and son were dead and at this point, she didn't know what kind of a man Valentine was and she was pregnant with Clarissa. We all thought he was dead. We moved on. But then the rumours started. Downworlders started the whispers that he was back. Now, no one knows for sure what really happened, but one day there was Jocelyn with her eight year old girl and the next there was Jocelyn, dead in the bath tub and the little girl was gone. Everyone assumed that Jocelyn had killed herself, overcome with grief but no one knew what happened to Clarissa. It appears that we have found her, battered and bruised. She was such a sweet girl. I don't feel comfortable giving her back to an abusive father even if she is his spy."

I sat in silence, digesting the new information. It was a horrible story if it was true, but what if she was a spy? What if she was working alongside Valentine and they had just given away all of the Clave's secrets. What then?

A cough from behind us caught our attention and when we turned, we saw Izzy leaning against the doorway with Clarissa standing awkwardly behind her. She had had a shower, that much was obvious from her wet hair that was tied back into a knot and the fact that her face was no clear from the blood and dirt. Now that I had a proper look at her, I had to admit she was stunningly beautiful. Her eyes stood out against her pale complexion and for once in my life, I was speechless. She wore some of Izzy's stuff, too big for her on her petit build but better than her previous rags.

I stood, the chair scraping against the floor, creating an ugly sound in the otherwise silent room.

"You can sit here." From the edge of my vision, I saw Alec give me a look which I couldn't read but I kept my eyes on the girl who smiled slightly as thanks before moving to sit. At least she was less wary of us now. Still hesitant, but not petrified.

I moved to sit in the chair opposite my previous one as Hodge began to get information from her.

"Clarissa..."  
"Clary. Please." She interrupted. Her voice was less raspy and more musical. It was beautiful, just like her.

"Clary," Hodge continued. "Can I ask what happened to you?"

She looked down, tensing slightly. She shut her eyes and breathed through her mouth.

"Look, I'm sorry I came in like this. I was being chased by a ravener and I lost my weapon a while back and I saw this institute and well... I can go if you want. I don't want anything from you, I shouldn't have come."

"Don't be silly. You're welcome here." At this she looked up, a brow raised in disbelief.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Clarissa Mor..."  
"Clary. My name's Clary." There was a glint in her eye, anger or sadness?

"And I know you know my name. Do you know who my father is?"

"Valentine Morgenstern," I spoke up. They all looked at me, their heads whipping in my direction at the same time. It was humorous really.

"Yes," she answered, her dazzling eyes piercing into mine, I was left speechless. Again. _Come on_ _Jace! Man up! _

"If you know, why do you trust me to stay?"

"Well, if you go and tell your daddy anything, we will kill you."

"Jace!" Izzy hissed from where she stood by the door but I was focused completely on the girl in front of me. She didn't seem offended, she was smiling, a small grin. She was pretty when she smiled.

"Understandable, I suppose."

"Well then, we shouldn't have any problems."


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you notice how she never actually answered any of our questions?" I rolled my eyes at Alec's suspicious tone. Hodge had gone to show Clary to her room, leaving us at the table alone so that Alec could take over the role as sensible adult.

"Will you relax? It's not like she's going anywhere, like Hodge said, she's our prisoner now." I leant back in my chair, letting off an air of boredom when in fact I was very intrigued by this fiery girl.

"There are still ways to relay messages to outside the institute," Alec hissed.

"Not without a steel. Hodge checked her when she first came in," Isabelle corrected her uptight brother.

"She may not need a steel! You heard what Hodge said, Valentine was experimenting on his children with demon blood. What if she has some unknown powers?" He continued in his whispered tone.

"You're right. Maybe she's a wizard," I inputted.

"It's not funny Jace!" I rose my hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay! Why are you whispering?" Alec paused for a second to consider my question before scowling in irritation. I had that effect on people.

"She might..."

"She might have super duper hearing because she's a wizard?" I interrupted, a small smirk playing on my lips. Winding up Alec was my favourite past time. Before my dear adopted brother could become violent, Isabelle's soft voice stopped us.

"What if it is true?" I frowned, thinking back on the conversation to try and get what she was talking about. At both of our bewildered expressions, she explained.

"The whole story with Valentine and the demon blood, what if it's true? Can you imagine how she must have lived? It's a horrible thing to do!" I just blinked in surprise.

She made a good point of course. Experimenting on your children before they are even born with evil substances isn't exactly fatherly, but Isabelle's tone was a surprise. She wasn't the kind of girl to pity anyone, she was a strong woman and hid her emotions behind a twenty foot brick wall but the way she spoke now was unlike her.

"Well, it's Valentine. I can't imagine him picking up any awards for best dad of the year, can you?" I replied slowly. We were interrupted then by Hodge walking in, he too held a melancholic expression.

"She's a stubborn one," was all he said as he went to pour himself some of his famous healing tea.

"What happened?"

"I mentioned that she's be staying with us for a while," was his reply.

"And..." Isabelle pushed or more information.

"Well, let's just say she didn't take it very well."

...

Standing outside her door, I found myself hesitating to knock. Why? I had no idea. Hodge had asked us to check on her occasionally and I, being the idiot that I am, volunteered my services. I was now basically her bodyguard. I don't know why I put myself forward for this task, I was just curious and had this want to see her again. It sounded stupid when I thought about it.

Any why the hell was I nervous? What was she going to do? What was the worst thing that could happen? With that in mind, I squeezed my eyes shut and banged on her door before I could have second thoughts.

The door opened and I tried very hard to hide the fact that my breath caught in my throat. Her hair was now dry and had gone back to the red curls that I had first seen on her but this time there was no dirt hiding her almost flawless face. Her vibrant green eyes pierced through me as she raised her brows in question.

My mind went blank. It was a strange experience, it was almost like a switch. I completely forgot what I was doing at her door. I was fully aware of time passing as I racked my brain for answers while she just stood there, questions in her beautiful eyes. What the hell was happening? Hodge. Hodge wanted me to check on her.

Plastering my signature smirk on my face to hide the fact that I was indeed very nervous, yes Jace Wayland was nervous, I leant against her doorframe.

"Hodge wants updates on how you're doing." Her eyes darkened slightly and she gritted her teeth. Something I had said had obviously annoyed her. What had I said again?

"Are you supposed to be my bodyguard or my prison guard?" My smirk grew.

"I can be whatever you want me to be." At this she rose her brows, humour evident in her eyes.

"Are you flirting with me?" Shit. I wasn't meant to be flirting. I was meant to be a serious shadowhunter on a serious job.

"Only if you want me to." What am I saying? Shut your mouth Jace!

This time a real smile made its way onto her face and the voice in my head disappeared.

"That was a really bad pickup line," she tried to hide her laughter. Whether she was laughing at me or with me, I didn't care.

"That's not what the other girls said." She rolled her eyes, her small smile still playing on her lips.

"Wow. Okay. Well you can report back to the old man that I'm alive and not trying to escape. Was there anything else you needed?"

I didn't need anything else but something was stopping me from walking away. I was only meant to make sure that she wasn't in any trouble and then leave, I wasn't even meant to talk to her. I should have just said goodnight but instead...

"Can I come in?"

Her face turned blank, her smile dropped and I could see through her eyes as she closed herself off.

"No," was all she said. I shouldn't have asked the question but her response surprised me. Why was she so closed off? Was she hiding something?  
Without another word, I pushed past her into her room, ignoring her yells of protest. The interior was exactly the same as my room. Bland and impersonal. A bed , a desk and a window. That was it. At first glance there was nothing strange about the room and I went back to wondering what this girl could be hiding.

Suddenly she was in front of me, pushing at my chest.

"Get the hell out!" She growled. I ignored the sparks that I felt from her hands on my skin and grabbed hold of her wrists, stopping her assault. She visibly flinched at my movement and I frowned.

"I'm not going to hurt you Clarissa," I assured.

Her eyes flashed and she ripped her wrists from out of my grip, catching me by surprise.

"My name is Clary and I want you to get out of this room." This time when she shoved at my chest, I did stumble back. She was surprisingly strong for such a small person.

"What happened to you?" The whispered question left my mouth before my brain could even process the words.

She froze, her hands on her hips.

"None of your damn business," she hissed. I leant against the wall, making it clearly obvious that I wasn't leaving.

"Actually, considering the fact that you're staying at this institute, I think you'll find that it is."

"Well, let me go and you don't ever have to see me again." I sucked my tongue between my teeth and shrugged,

"You know I can't do that, Clarissa," I emphasized the use of her name and watched as she visibly tensed.

"My name is..."

"Clary," I interrupted, enjoying the feel of her name on my tongue. "Why don't you like Clarissa?" She ignored my question and I grinned at the frustration swirling in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes.

"What's Jace short for?" She asked through clenched teeth. I blinked in surprise.

"What?"  
"What's Jace short for?" She repeated. I hesitated a moment before answering,

"Jonathan."

"Why do people call you Jace?" I scowled.

"Wouldn't you like to know." She smirked in response to my lame comeback.

"I'll start answering some of your questions when you stop being an ass hole. Now get. Out. Of. My. Room."

"You realise that if you don't talk to us, the clave will get involved and so will the mortal sword." For a moment I saw the same fear flash in her eyes and I was reminded of the terrified girl who flinched away from everything. It was soon disguised by her already familiar guarded look.

"You can't use the mortal sword on me," her tone was sure and I rose my brows in questions.

"And why not?"

"Valentine has it."

At this I stood straight. What was she saying? Valentine wanted the sword?

"Well, he won't be able to get it, the sword is heavily guarded, nobody can get to it. Not even your father." Pain was evident on her face when I pointed out her relationship with Valentine and I felt momentarily guilty until I remembered our conversation.

"You know, the Clave isn't as powerful as it makes itself out to seem." I frowned in confusion to her rather dubious statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Valentine doesn't need to get the sword. He's already got it."

My confusion only grew. Valentine couldn't have the sword. If it had been taken, we would have known almost straight away.

"That's impossible," I voiced my doubts. She shrugged as if none of it mattered.

"Believe what you want. But when Valentine gets what he needs, he'll destroy the Clave like it's nothing."

Fear spread through me at her words. She didn't say it like she was a part of this crazy plan. She said it like a warning.

"And what is it that he needs?" A smirk grew on her face but there was no humour behind it. It looked like she knew something that was inevitable and she had accepted her fate. It was terrifying.

"Me."


	3. Chapter 3

"She said what?!" Alec's hiss made me wince. Had he never heard of personal space? I pushed him away until his back hit the wall of the closet but that still didn't leave much space for me with both Lightwoods cramped in with me.

"Why are we in a closet again?" I sighed, trying to find a position where my shoulder wasn't brushing Alec, or Isabelle, or a wall, or any other damn thing.

"We have to be subtle about this Jace!"

"About what? The fact that you still haven't come out the closet to your parents?" I smirked. I thought the pun was rather clever, however Isabelle didn't seem to think so. She smacked my arm, rolling her eyes in that was that only Isabelle does.

"This is serious."  
I sighed again and looked up into the heavens, praying for a God I didn't believe in to get me out of this situation.

"I know and I've told you what she said. Apparently Valentine has the Mortal sword and needs Clary for his evil-genius-taking-over-the-world-and-killing-everyone-in-it-plan."

"Wait," Isabelle's brows were furrowed as if she was confused, "tell me more about this plan."

"What I said pretty much summed it up. She said he wanted to destroy the Clave. Without the Clave, shadowhunters run wild. Without shadowhunters demons take over the world. Demons taking over the world means..."  
"Okay, we get it Jace. We're all going to die," Alec said exasperatedly.

"Exactly," I smiled, "now that we've got that sorted out..." I headed for the door, desperate to get out of this closed space. Isabelle only pushed me back and I let out a growl of annoyance.

"We need to tell Hodge."

"We can't! If he knows he'll let the Clave know!"  
"Exactly! They need to, why would we keep it a secret from them?!"

"Because we can sort it out ourselves!"

"Isabelle, this isn't about proving what a good Shadow hunter you are!"

"You think I don't know that!?"

"Then why the hell do you want to keep it from the Clave?!" I just leant back, watching the two siblings fight, rather loudly I might add.

Before I could step in, before it got physical, however, the door to the closet opened to reveal a mass of red hair. Again, I cursed by erratic, beating heart, but she looked like some avenging angel. An angel with a raised brow and humour in her eyes.

"Was this your attempt at being subtle? Because, it usually works better if you're not screaming at each other."

That got both Lightwoods to shut up.

...

I had the sudden sense of déjà vu as we sat in the library with Hodge and Clary in that arm chair I first saw her in. However, now she wasn't cowering in fear, she sat straight analyzing everything around her.

"My father's hate of the clave is no secret. He plans on destroying them and killing every shadowhunter and downworlder that stand in his way."

"One man can't stand against a whole community of shadowhunters and downworlders." Alec's point was reasonable, however the green eyed beauty opposite me already had an answer.

"No... but a man with a Mortal sword, an army of demons and the help from the Fey and the Children of the Night, can." There was silence, then...

"Wait."  
"What?!"  
"Explain!"

I sat in silence, my eyes roaming the face of the girl opposite me. She closed her eyes for a moment as if gathering her thoughts before they opened and pierced through me. I stared right back, my heart thumping wildly for a reason that I didn't want to admit.

Hodge stood suddenly from behind his desk and the room fell silent.

"We would have heard if he had taken the Mortal sword, you must be mistaken." Her eyes didn't leave mine as she replied,

"I told you, the Clave isn't as powerful as they'd like you to believe." My eyes narrowed, still on her.

"Are you saying that the Clave know it's missing but haven't alerted anybody?" It was the first time I had spoken since Hodge had us also move to the library so we could discuss the evil-genius-taking-over-the-world-and-killing-everyone-in-it-plan.

"No. They don't know yet. He replaced the real sword with a fake."  
"How did he even get the sword without being caught?"

"He has inside men."

"In the Clave?" She nodded.

"Who?"

"I don't know." I took a moment to look her over. She had kept eve contact during the whole conversation and hadn't once hesitated. I didn't know why, but I believed her.

"You going to tell us about the army of demons you mentioned?" I rose a brow, and leant against the wall, trying to seep the information from her, not that she seemed reluctant to give it. Why was she so eager to offer information? Was she working for Valentine? Somehow, I knew she wasn't.

She frowned and looked down, a look of irritation crossing her face.

"I don't know how he did it. He let my brother take control of that, you know being half demon and all." She let out a humourless laugh, her eyes suddenly darkening. I frowned. There was a story behind that.

"And why does he need you?"

When she looked up, the fear in her eyes was unmistakable, I had never seen anything like it. One moment it was as if the terror was swallowing her alive and somehow swallowing me whole too and the next, she closed herself off. Her eyes were empty.

"I don't know." This time I knew it was a lie. She was hiding something.

Hodge, seeming to notice the tension in the room cleared his throat again.

"Seeing as your father is after you, Clary, you need to learn to protect yourself. We can finish this talk later." At this, the girl in front of me scowled.

"I can protect myself."  
"Really? Because you appeared here half dead from a ravener. They aren't exactly the most intelligent of creatures." Her glare turned in my direction and I found myself smirking. Who knew that pissing off someone could be so much fun?

"I dropped my steel," she said through gritted teeth.

"That proves the fact that you can't look after yourself. You shouldn't have dropped it in the first place." She opened her mouth about to respond when once again, Hodge interrupted us.

"I have no doubt that you can fight Clary, but it won't hurt to practice with Jace just to sharpen you up."  
The suggestion somehow got my heart beating wildly again and I swallowed, trying to hide my sudden excitement.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." She only grinned, a sly look in her eye.

"You promise?" And somehow I knew that she was a force to be reckoned with.


End file.
